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| NORWALK HARBOR MANAGEMENT COMMISSION MINUTES |
CLICK HERE FOR HARBOR MANAGEMENT MAYORS WATER QUALITY COMMITTEE MINUTES
CLICK HERE FOR HARBOR MANAGEMENT APPLICATION REVIEW COMMITTEE MINUTES
OCTOBER 26, 2005
ATTENDANCE: Tony Mobilia, Chairman, Henry Palau, Vice Chair; Dick Ramsey,
Pat Clark, Jack Callahan, Jose Cebrian, Dr. John Pinto,
Jason Farrow ( 7:40 p.m.); Tony D’Andrea (7:50 p.m.)
STAFF: Derek DeMarche, Planning & Zoning
OTHERS: Michael Griffin, Harbor Master; John Frank, Shellfish
Commissioner; Brian Griffin, Geoff Steadman, Consultant
(9:15 p.m.)
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Mobilia called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.
2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 MEETING
The following corrections were noted:
Throughout the document please change “John Franks” to “John Frank”.
Page 3, paragraph 4, line 5, please change “Mr. Pinto” to “Mr. D’Andrea”
Page 4, paragraph 2, line 2, please change “NOAH” to “NOAA”.
Page 4, paragraph 3, line 6: please change the last sentence to read “ One
concern
expressed is that the money allocated for this project not be touched for any
other
project.”
Page 4, last paragraph, first line: please change “negations” to “negotiations”.
Mr. Farrow arrived at 7:40 p.m.
Page 5, paragraph 4, first line: please change the sentence from Chairman Mobilia said that it was a very interesting meeting...”to “Chairman Mobilia said that it was a very interesting but lengthy meeting...”
Page 5, paragraph 4, line 3, please change the sentence to read “ ...all worked for Broadwater” to “... all worked for the gas industry.”
Page 5, paragraph 8, line 1, please change the sentence to read “... the Commission
that
the items involved...” to read “... the Commission that the other items involved...”
Page 8, paragraph 5, line 3, please change the spelling of “masserators” to
“macerators”.
Page 9, paragraph 4, line 3, please change the sentence from “ ...Denis from
the Department of Environmental Protection Department...” to “ ...Denis, from
the Department of Environmental Protection...”
Harbor Master Griffin commented that the minutes were very detailed and gave
an excellent
sense of the meeting. The Commission then agreed to accept the September 29,
2005 minutes as corrected.
3. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Annual State-of-the-Harbor Meeting
Chairman Mobilia reviewed the agenda for the State of the Harbor meeting, scheduled for November 2, 2005 and assigned various Commission members to prepare presentations for the program.
Mr. D’Andrea arrived at 7:50 p.m.
Mr. Cebrian asked if the Commission could publicize the event more. Chairman Mobilia said that the newsletter contained flyers about the event and that the local newspapers will be informed about it, also. Harbor Master Griffin commented that he believes that the public is happy with the Harbor’s condition. When the public is not happy or has an issue, they show up in large numbers to protest. He concluded that lack of interest might not be a bad thing.
Nominating Committee for 2006
Chairman Mobilia explained that the bylaws require a member from application review, a member from water quality and a third Commission member on the Nominating Committee. He then asked for volunteers. Dr. Pinto, Mr. D’Andrea and Mr. Cebrian promptly volunteered. Chairman Mobilia reminded them that the Nominations must be in by the December meeting.
In regards to the meetings, Chairman Mobilia reminded the Commission that the November meeting was moved up to November 16th, because of Thanksgiving and the December meeting will also be moved forward.
Various meetings attended.
Chairman Mobilia reported that he had attended a meeting for The Filter Project, which is being tested in Norwalk. He passed around a packet of information for the Commissioners to inspect. The demonstration was conducted outside of the Maritime Aquarium and involved a stainless steel collar that is inserted into the drain after the street grating is removed. The filter, which acts somewhat like a bilge sponge, fits inside the collar. It is easy to change, the most difficult part being the removal of the street grating. The filter is designed to absorb oil and will also catch some other residue. There are vents on the side that allow the water to filter into the drain without backing up into the street. The filters are expected to be changed quarterly and are disposable. Dr. Pinto questioned who would be conducting the water quality testing. Chairman Mobilia replied that three non-profit organizations were involved with the project. Mr. D’Andrea said that he would want to know who was funding this project.
Chairman Mobilia also informed the Commission that he had attended the press conference for the beginning of the dredging of the Harbor. He commented that he was on hand when the dredge arrived in the harbor and that it was a tight fit at both the South Norwalk and Railroad bridges.
4. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS
Letters have been sent out to Mr. Frederick Huntle, to the DEP regarding the
Robert
Manning application and to the Norwalk Yacht Club. Chairman Mobilia is still
working on the letter to Gina McCarthy.
5. COMMITTEE REPORTS
a. Finance - Ramsey
Mr. Ramsey reported that the finances were in good shape and that the Commission is solvent.
b. Application Review - Clark
Ms. Clark reported that there were no new applications.
1. Discussion - DEP Notice of Tentative Determination Application # 2004011848 - TS, Scott and Lori McNulty, 20 Old Wharf Road.
She reviewed the application from McNulty and did not find any changes. On the basis of that, she felt that the Commission should stand on their previous recommendation and take no further action.
2. Discussion - DEP COP-2005-118-JW - Marty and Susan Ehrlich,
12 Pine Point Road.
Ms. Clark reported that the DEP had issued a certificate regarding a non-permitted
stone
seawall on the property recently purchased by the Ehrlichs. This was done just
to make the existence of the seawall part of the property description and to
make it legal.
3. Other Business - review and discussion
Ms. Clark had no further items to bring to the Commission. Chairman Mobilia reported that he had observed work being done at Vantage Point and passed around a number of digital photographs for the Commission to inspect. Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that Vantage Point was doing the construction without permits. The DEP is requiring Vantage Point to file for permits. Mr. Westmeyer has assured the Commission that they will see the permits and that everyone will comply.
Mr. Palau commented that there did not appear to be any activity at Yarmouth Road. The riprap is still in the water.
c. Web page/ Newsletter - Farrow
Copies of the newsletter were distributed to the Commission. Mr. Farrow stated that he will have the newsletter put on the City Website and has contacted Mr. Manzi regarding this.
d. Boating and Harbor Safety - Farrow
Mr. Farrow stated that he had nothing to report at this time.
e. Water Quality Committee - D’Andrea
Mr. D’Andrea asked if the bills he had submitted had been processed by Accounting. Mr. Ramsey said that he did receive the bills and they would be paid.
f. Plans and Recommendations - Callahan
Mr. Callahan thanked the Commission for the letter to Captain Boyton. He stated that in regards to the five year plan, he had drafted a memo up with some proposals and distributed copies of that memo. He suggested a meeting to be held possibly in January, to come up with ideas for raising revenue. Both Geoff and Mike Griffin should receive more money, but it needs to be raised from a different source rather than increasing the mooring fees. Long range planning is necessary.
Harbor Master Griffin commented that Milford is a prime example of long range thinking. All the fees collected go into the Harbor Management account. Mr. D’Andrea suggested adopting Milford as the poster child for Norwalk Harbor. Dr. Pinto stated that he was against raising the mooring fees. He also commented that he thought it was a wise idea for the Commission to have spent down the contingency fund, which had been used as an excuse for not increasing the Harbor Commission budget in the past.
Mr. Ramsey announced that he would be resigning from the Commission at the end of the year as he has moved his residence to Stamford, but is still a Norwalk property owner. He will be submitting a letter of resignation to the Mayor in December.
Mr. Steadman arrived at 9:15 p.m.
g. Dredging - Pinto & Dredging Committee (Mobilia, Griffin, Steadman)
Dr. Pinto reported that the dredging has commenced. He also informed the Commission that he had traveled to New Bedford, MA for a meeting with Cashman and that a second meeting was held in Norwalk on November 11th with the Norwalk Police Department, Fire Department, DOT, dredge team and other concerned parties. Letters will go to the DEP to facilitate Phase 2. A CAD cell must be dug and has to be capped after 30 days. Harbor Master Griffin is the point man for this project.
Harbor Master Griffin informed the Commission that the dredge is currently off of the Maritime Center and the team has informed him that they will be dredging back towards the railroad bridge. He also stated that he took three of the technical personnel on a physical site tour. There was some discussion regarding how much it would cost the City per cubic yard to remove the dredging. One estimate is that it might be as high as $400 per cubic yard if a CAD cell is not used. Harbor Master Griffin then distributed an email from the Apex Dredge Company. He suggested possibly having a private CAD cell done and inviting the various water dependent businesses to provide the needed sediment yardage for filling the cell. Tipping fees could be charged for placing sediment into the cell, which could partially or fully cover the cost of the cell. The Commission agreed to explore this option further.
h. Waterfront Facility Advisory - Griffin
Harbor Master Griffin distributed and reviewed his report for the Commission. He reported that the Maritime Center had hired a security guard to be on site until the boats return to their moorings.
Harbor Master Griffin requested that he be allowed to give his staff report at this time. This was agreeable to the Commission
7. STAFF REPORTS
a. Harbor Master - Griffin
Harbor Master Griffin distributed his report and gave a brief overview. He pointed out that a letter has been received from Mr. David Carry, the Director of the CT Department of Aquaculture regarding seasonal moorings on shellfish beds. He reviewed the reasons why this would have a negative effect on several yacht clubs in Norwalk, and those who lease the beds for shellfishing. The change centers around classifying the sites of seasonal moorings as “prohibited’ rather than “temporarily closed”. Also when there is a significant amount of rain, Mr. Frank informed the group, it has been the practice to temporarily close the shellfish beds, which means that commercial and private harvesting is prohibited. However, the commercial companies can send their boats out to do transplanting or other associated tasks. Now the ruling prohibits the boats leaving their docks or moorings. Commercial shellfisher are dismissing their crews for the time that that beds are closed, which is creating a financial hardship. A meeting with Mr. Carry has been scheduled for November 3rd at City Hall.
Harbor Master Griffin reviewed an application for a rowing competition that was proposed for November 6th. The race course was proposed to pass through the area that is scheduled to be dredged. The representative of the applicant, Maritime Rowing Club, were encouraged to stage their event south of the bridge. Harbor Master Griffin was pleased with the results of the new form and complimented the Commission on the effectiveness of the new form.
Harbor Master Griffin reported that Cashman had called his office and reported that the rowers were coming dangerously close to the dredge equipment. Chairman Mobilia reminded everyone about the recent sculling accident that resulted in a fatality. Harbor Master Griffin spoke with the executive director of the Norwalk Rowing Club about the dangers involved. Mr. Barringer stated that the Norwalk Rowing Club would not send any boats north of the Washington Street Bridge until told otherwise by the Harbor Master. The second club which originates out of SONO wharf, was also contacted.
** MR. CALLAHAN MOVED TO ACCEPT THE HARBOR MASTER’S
REPORT AS PRESENTED.
** DR. PINTO SECONDED.
** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
Harbor Master Griffin and Mr. Griffin left the meeting at 9:50 p.m.
c. Planning and Zoning - Greene
Mr. DeMarche spoke with Mr. Steadman who will give Chairman Mobilia’s comments on the Norwalk Yacht Club to Mr. DeMarche.
Mr. DeMarche also said that the names of the attendees for the State of the Harbor meeting need to be in by Tuesdays so that name tags can be made. Mr. DeMarche will make the copies of the agenda for the meeting.
Regarding the file cabinet that the Police Department promised, nothing has been heard but Mr. DeMarche will follow up on it. This is needed for storage of Harbor Commission documents.
There was also a brief discussion of the postage charges for the invitation mailings and the newsletter. Mr. Ramsey assured the Commission that these charges would be covered.
b. Consultant - Steadman
Dr. Pinto presented the draft of the guidelines. Chairman Mobilia pointed out that the guidelines repeat a sizable portion of the language in the Harbor Management Plan. Dr. Pinto agreed that the draft needed to be condensed. He explained that the information was included to set the stage for where the Commission stands. Chairman Mobilia suggested that the Commission submit their comments by email.
8. OTHER COMMENTS
There were no additional comments from the Commissioners.
9. ADJOURNMENT
** MR. PALAU MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING.
** MS. CLARK SECONDED
** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
The meeting adjourned at 9:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sharon L. Soltes
Telesco Secretarial Services
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